


not all of them are so bad

by StarrySpectacle



Category: Dark Artifices Series - Cassandra Clare
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-06-06
Updated: 2018-01-09
Packaged: 2018-07-12 15:16:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,088
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7110955
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/StarrySpectacle/pseuds/StarrySpectacle
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Kit definitely doesn't want to be at the Institute, and he definitely didn't want the Shadowhunter that stayed outside his door after everyone else had left...</p><p>...At first, anyway.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Kit didn’t want anything to do with the Shadowhunters. He made that much clear when Julian tried taking food into his room and came out with soup spilled all over his shirt and one slice of the grilled cheese. The rest of his family, anxiously crowded around the hallway to see if he would come out, had to suppress smiles and groans as Julian shouldered his way back to the kitchen, muttering about needing to get stains out of the shirt. Ty had lingered when everyone else had left, staring quietly at the door for several minutes. His hands tightened and loosened on his headphones while he stared, eyebrows furrowing in thought before he was interrupted by the sound of the door clicking open.

“I know you’ve been out there,” Kit grumbled, peeking out of the small gap in the frame. Ty looked alarmed, flushing in embarrassment at having been caught staring- albeit only at the door. His hands finally tightened on his headphones, eyes focusing on the door a bit off from where Kit’s face was positioned and wondering if anyone had brought him any kind of change of clothes yet. “Do you _Shadowhunters_ not trust me enough to leave me alone for more than five minutes?” Kit asked. Ty shifted on his feet, glancing to his face for a moment before looking at the door again.

“It’s not that...I was wondering if you had any different clothes to change into?” Ty asked, looking worried. Kit frowned, looking down at himself and back to Ty.

“No, I didn’t really have time to ask the demons to stop atta-” Quip on the edge of his tongue, Kit stopped before he could say more, the image of his father being torn apart playing in his mind when he even thought about the attack on his house. Ty noticed, at least, and widened his eyes.

“I’m sorry- was that a bad thing to ask? Uh- I- I can just get you a spare change from my room. They should fit you…” He trailed off, looking focused again as he looked Kit up and down. “Yeah, they should. I can make them baggy if you want.” Ty offered. Kit barely heard him. He nodded, distracted by his thoughts.

“...Yeah, that- that would work. Baggy, I mean...Thanks…” Kit trailed off awkwardly, realizing he had no clue what his name was. Yikes.

“Tiberius. Tiberius Blackthorn, but...my family and everyone just call me Ty. You can too.” He sounded almost shy, and Kit felt a surge of fondness for him. That...wasn’t expected. Kit nodded awkwardly, opening the door a bit more.

“Kit Rook. Don’t call me Christopher- that’s not my name.” His words were blunt, tone unfriendly, and Ty winced at his words. It definitely wouldn’t be easy to get him to trust him more- offerings of clothing aside.

“Of course, Kit. I’ll be back. Do you want anything else?” Ty asked, already moving his headphones to cover his ears. Kit thought for a moment, looking back into the room.

“A book would be good. Who knows how long I’m going to need to keep myself in here before _those guys_ give up.” Kit watched as Ty’s eyes lit up, a smile easily crossing his face as he nodded, turning for his room.

“Yeah, I have one. I think you’ll like it- I’ll be back, Kit!” Ty went off down the hall and Kit lingered for a few moments before he shut the door, leaning his back against the frame. The corner of his mouth twitched upwards, and he couldn’t help but feel a bit more...at ease about this.

“Maybe a _few_ of those Shadowhunters aren't so bad,” Kit mumbled to himself, mind still on Tiberius and his earnest want to make friends. It was...nice. Yes; maybe there were a few good Shadowhunters out there.


	2. Chapter 2

The clothes did fit, and the book Ty had brought him was _interesting_. Kit hadn’t read Sherlock Holmes before, and he hadn’t planned on it either, but when Tiberius had held it out to him through the small gap in the door, looking eager and leaving his headphones alone for the first time since Kit had been there, he had accepted it and promised he’d tell him what he thought of it.

It didn’t take a genius to tell that Ty wasn’t like the rest of his family. There was something different about him, but it didn’t make Kit want to know him any less; if anything, it amplified his interest. He felt an urge to get to know the Shadowhunter, to get to understand him. It was mildly worrying, if he would admit it. Kit hadn’t felt like this before. Not with anyone- boy, girl, or otherwise- he had met before or even _seen_ before. He was drawn to Ty in a way that had him checking his door frequently, seeing if he was still there. He was, most times, and Kit had to think of something to ask him so it didn’t seem as if he had been hoping he was there.

Which, by the way, he _totally wasn’t_.

Ty often brought his food for him, being one of the only ones Kit would open the door for, and they sometimes spoke about the book, or the food, or the fact that Kit really _couldn’t_ stay in that room forever. Kit argued that he could, and that if anyone tried picking the lock he would use the book Ty gave him to hit them once they got inside.

Kit relented one night. It was cooler, closer to winter and the holidays, and Ty seemed very keen on getting him out of his room. He’d asked Kit to meet him during night, down the hall- somewhere he hadn’t been, much less had been at night, alone, with someone who he thought was exceedingly beautiful.

...Yeah, that hadn’t changed from the first time he saw Ty. Kit still found himself staring sometimes without meaning to, focusing on minuscule details that made him confused and kind of angry, but mostly antsy when he was around Tiberius. He felt like some schoolgirl when he looked away in embarrassment when Ty caught him staring and he stuttered out excuses (once he’d said there was a spider on him, and that had lead to Ty spending a good _hour_ looking for it so he could befriend it. Kit had made sure never to use that excuse again.).

When he finally took Ty up on the offer, tiptoeing through the silent Institute. Ty was waiting exactly where he’d told him, and he held a bag that was stuffed with items Kit couldn’t make out in the dim light.

“Come on, it’s a bit of a walk, but it’ll be worth it,” Ty promised him in a whisper, mouth moving dangerously close to Kit’s ear and rendering him speechless. He nodded and followed after him, ignoring the confused look Ty gave him before heading off.

It _was_ a bit of a walk, and when they got to a small, disused door to an older part of the building, Ty finally turned back to him.

“I think this used to be an old servant’s quarters door. Most everyone’s forgotten about it, or just don’t care and figure we’ll use the front door instead.” Ty explained as they ducked through the door. The air wasn’t chilly yet, leaving a pleasant feeling on Kit’s arms and bare feet. Kit’s eyebrows furrowed as he looked around, then over to Ty.

“...This doesn’t really seem like you. The whole being outside when you could be on your computer thing. What am I looking for?” Kit asked, turning to look around again, as if something would pop out of nowhere. Ty huffed, frowning to himself before reaching and pulling on Kit’s arm, leading him around the back of the Institute. There, tucked easily out of sight from anyone who would glance around quickly without looking too hard, was a tent. Ty let go of Kit’s arm quickly once they got to the tent, looking nervous and reaching up for his headphones.

“I, uh- I know you don’t like being in the institute because...you don’t think you belong there, so I thought- I figured you might find it easier to talk if we’re out here?” Ty’s voice grew more nervous the longer he spoke, as if he were on the verge of regretting any of his words. Kit had to take a moment to listen to what he said, and when he realized why Ty had done this- to get to know him better, make him feel more comfortable and more _able_ to talk to him while being somewhere that wasn’t a stark reminder of the fact that his father lied to him, he had no clue who he really was, he had some other family across the country he didn’t even want to meet- he felt tears well up in his eyes.

Ty was alarmed. He hadn’t planned for Kit to start crying at any point during this, let alone the beginning, and he hadn’t planned for it. He stood there, eyes wide and standing as still as he could, as if him moving would do anything to further upset Kit. He watched as Kit wiped at his eyes, pulling his shirt up to soak up the tears on his cheeks, and waited tensely for him to say something- to say anything. When Kit looked over to him, Ty’s eyes darted to the ground, his breathing quickening in anxiety.

“Hey- oh, geez, did I freak you out? I’m sorry for, uh, for that- hey, don’t worry! I...it, um…” Kit’s cheeks were red and Ty was confused on whether it was because of his crying or embarrassment at being seen crying- or some other mysterious reason. “This....thanks, Ty. I appreciate it. I’ll, uh...I’ll talk more, I think,” Kit managed, looking nervously at Ty, as if he were hoping what he said made sense. 

Ty slowly looked up, not quite making eye contact with Kit but seeming relieved. “Really? Okay, good- I didn’t account for you crying in any of this, and I wasn’t sure what to do…” His face scrunched up in thought as Kit laughed, reaching for the bundle in Ty’s arms. Ty handed it over and let him enter the tent first, waiting until he flicked on the lamp left inside to join him.

Various snacks were dumped out of the bag, followed by a rather large blanket. Once the two got comfortable on the floor of the tent (also covered with a blanket and a few old pillows- Kit was starting to wonder how long Ty had planned this for and how long it had taken him to set up) Ty reached for the lamp and hesitated.

“Are you okay with this off?” He asked quietly. Kit paused in the midst of trying to eat a marshmallow whole, his voice muffled for a few seconds before he managed to swallow.

“Yeah. I don’t mind. I trust you,” Kit said, and was surprised to find that he did. Out of anyone he’d actually spoken to since his father died, Ty was the only one that it felt natural to trust, like he was meant to, regardless of knives held to his throat and not looking Ty in the eye all the time. Ty’s quirks were his own, and if anything, they made Kit feel more at ease around him. There was a moment of silence before Ty flicked the lamp off, leaving them only the light from the moon and stars. 

“I’m sorry about the situation that lead you to being here,” Ty said quickly, words rushed and sudden and leaving Kit dazed once more. It was hard to get a handle on Ty sometimes, but Kit was starting to find it easier to understand him. It made sense that Ty couldn’t say something like this when he knew Kit could see him clearly, when he didn’t have some sort of barrier between them. Kit bit back a smile.

“...Thank you, Ty. I appreciate it...but…” Kit’s words surprised even himself as his voice wavered before he got himself under control. “...if it didn’t happen then...it would have probably happened sooner or later. Dad was careful, but after seeing what those demons did, and knowing what you guys were dealing with…” Kit felt a shiver go up his back, and his fingers clenched at the pillow he was leaning on. “...I’m glad Emma came. And I’m glad she brought me here…” Kit’s voice caught again and he took a deep breath, hand reaching out to poke at the ground outside the tent.

“...I’ll go out tomorrow, I think, Ty. Talk to someone else. The woman you said helped look after you guys- she would be a good place to start, right?” Kit asked hesitantly, voice somewhat muffled by his pillow. Ty’s eyes widened and he almost threw himself to sit up, looking at Kit.

“R-really? Did...did this help…?” He asked, settling back down when Kit gave a soft chuckle.  
“Yeah, actually. It kinda did. If you’re willing to try this hard to help out a guy who’s been locked up in his room for over a month, eating your food and using your clothes and water and stuff, I should try to pay you back somehow.” Kit grinned.

“I thought I needed to pay you back more- I mean, I held that knife to your throat, right?” Ty sounded confused for a moment, and Kit couldn’t help but laugh once more at the memory. “Hey- why are you laughing? What was so funny that I said?” Ty asked, voice wary and demanding. Kit tried to answer as quick as he could.

“I mean- that was- pffft, that wasn’t _that_ bad, Ty. I don’t care, and if anything- that’s how we met, right? I saw your beautiful face and you held a knife to my throat, and-” Kit trailed off when he noticed, eyes adjusted to the darkness and allowing him to make out some of Ty’s facial features, the surprise on his face, and had to backpedal in his words to realize what he said.

“Oh god that- that was really creepy. That was super mega creep of me, jeez- I- I’m sorry dude, I didn’t...Well, I did mean it, but I didn’t mean to say it like that...all creep-like,” Kit was flailing for some kind of save in this situation, and that save was Ty’s response.

“...Beautiful? Really?” Ty sounded almost modest, like he hadn’t put himself and the word ‘beautiful’ in the same sentence before in his life. Kit calmed down enough to nod, shifting to lay on his side and face Ty.

“...Yeah. You’re, um, you’re beautiful,” Kit said, voice awkward and drawing a nervous laugh from Ty. “God that sounded cheesy, but...yeah, I think so. Yeah.” 

“...Thank you, Kit. That, um...Thanks. I think you’re pretty….handsome too.” Ty managed, hands clutching at his headphones and drawing a surprised look from Kit. “...That is- I- I’m not used to this, Kit. I like going to the room to check on you, although I say it’s to check on you, but I just like being around you, and maybe getting the chance to see you. Is that- is that...okay?” He asks, drawing a long breath. Ty wouldn’t call it weird; not when he knows his sister loves her wife dearly, and has figured enough out about Mark to have a better idea of his open interests. He wants to know if it’s okay for him to feel that way to Kit- if Kit didn’t mind how he felt.

“...That’s...That’s fine, Ty. I like you coming around man, so you can definitely keep doing it.” Kit answers after a few painful seconds of silence. Ty lets out a rush of air and laughs, moving his arm closest to Kit closer by a few inches. When he glances back up, the stars seem brighter, and it can’t be more than a few hours off from sunrise. He looks back down when Kit moves to cover a few of his fingers with his own, lightly brushing and squeezing gently. He waits, waits, and finally smiles and lays his head on the pillow, still facing Kit.

“...We should get some sleep before Emma or Julian wake up and realize we’re missing,” Ty finally says, eyes moving from being focused on Kit’s chin to briefly looking him in the eye before moving away as he buries his face in the pillow. Kit laughs, content with softly tapping him with his fingers again. He moved to grab the spare blanket, spreading it over the both of them before zipping one of the covers of the tent flap closed.

“Yeah, that’s a good idea. I don’t want them to think I finally snapped and kidnapped you...G’night, Ty,” Kit mumbles as he settles down again, curling up to the soft sounds of Ty’s breathing.

“Good night, Kit.”

He doesn’t have any nightmares that night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i got the biggest writing urge for them today...so yeah this'll probably be a bit of a thing.


	3. understanding

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ty couldn’t understand Kit.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> wow it's been a while. i'm still knee-deep in the shadowhunters universe and finished tales from the academy over my break! that was an intense read. i'm figuring out how and when i wanna space these drabbles out while keeping the canon timeline in mind, so i'll probably keep them ambiguous until i settle down on a concrete idea. thank you all for choosing to read this, and i hope you enjoy it!

Ty couldn’t understand Kit.

Well, that was a lie- he could understand certain parts of Kit. He understood his flight response, and he understood his objections at being called Watson (as necessary as a Watson was, Sherlock was obviously the better choice to be). He kind of had an idea about why Kit sometimes zoned out or went to the edges of the room when the Blackthorns would get together and talk.

What Ty didn’t understand was why Kit sometimes tried to connect to him. Not physically, with hand-touches or sitting close to him like he’d only allow certain people to do when he was comfortable with it, but emotionally; the way Kit would ask Ty what he thought of something he knew would interest him, how he avoided asking about Ty’s quirks and the things he did to make himself more comfortable and just accepted them. 

It wasn’t bad-- in fact, it was startling, if anything. A good kind of startling, one that kept Ty on his toes because he wasn’t sure how he was supposed to respond in turn. It frustrated him, made him want to close his door and only let Livvy in, take some kind of break from Kit so he could have time to figure out how he should react in any situation he could be in.

“That’s silly,” Livvy said once Ty expressed his urge to her. “Like, I love you Ty, but you know Kit as well as I do now, and you know he can be unpredictable. Even when he’s trying to get close to you,” she added, smiling at the flush that colored Ty’s cheeks. “It’s hard, but he wouldn’t like it if you drew back, either. He wouldn’t tell you so, but it’d hurt him.” 

So, Ty hadn’t shut himself in his room with his Sherlock Holmes collection. Well, he did, but it was only for a few hours, before Kit had come knocking at his door and asking if Ty wanted some food, and that Livvy had sent him because she claimed he wouldn’t come out if it was anyone else. It frustrated Ty, but any refusal to stay in his room died when he opened his door, the first thing he saw being Kit’s concerned expression.

“...I guess I can take a break,” was his response, looking down but not missing the way Kit’s eyes lit up, a satisfied smile on his face.

It was small things that Kit did that eventually allowed Ty to really relax around him. From when the three of them-- Livvy tagging along because Ty never quite felt complete without her, and why wouldn’t he include the most important person to him when it came to being with another important person?-- would sneak around the institute, doing their best to overhear any spare information they could find out about what was going on, to when Livvy would promise to leave Ty and Kit to themselves for a little while and disappear to go tell Dru something. 

It’s one of those such times now, Livvy having darted off without listening to either of them, and now Ty sat with Kit on the top of the Institute, looking out at the stars. Normally Ty would avoid being up here, finding it too much trouble to climb up and then have to climb down not too long later, when the wind got too much or the air was too cold. He’d been overstimulated lately, though, being in the halls of the Institute had been too much, and for once, he appreciated the cooler air against his face, able to focus and be sure he wouldn’t fall. His eyes closed, Ty could almost feel as if he were up there alone.

In fact, the thought of it was what reminded Ty he wasn’t alone. He blinked his eyes open, and turned to look at his companion. While his own eyes were closed, Kit had followed suit; he rested against the roof easily, body relaxed despite being so high, and his eyes were closed. If it weren’t for the fact that they’d been talking minutes before, Ty could almost imagine he’d fallen asleep, or he was some statue Julian had left up here for who knows what reason. Kit was easy to look at, especially when his features were relaxed. He wasn’t as guarded as he was when they were inside, or around others. Actually, if Ty thought back about it, Kit hadn’t seemed as tense or uneasy around him and Livvy, once they got to hanging out more often. 

“I wonder why…” he murmured to himself before realizing he had spoken aloud, eyes widening and cheeks flushing. Kit’s eyes lid open, a smile on his lips as he raised an eyebrow.

“Wonder what, Ty?” he asked. 

“Um- I just- you...looked really peaceful, like that. Resting,” Ty said, already feeling the awkwardness settle down. Yeah, this seemed right- this was what he got for not trying to think ahead. However, instead of laughing or making a joke at him, Kit looked surprised.

“...Thank you, Ty. That’s, uh...I appreciate it,” Kit smiled, seeming genuine as far as Ty could tell. Well, he didn’t trust himself that much, but it helped Ty relax. He nodded back in response, reaching for his headphones and rubbing his fingers over the familiar surface. He didn’t put them on, only held them tight and stared at the space of rooftop beside Kit. 

“I was...actually wondering why you seemed different. Not just different, but you seem different around me and Livvy. Why’s that?” Ty continued, still focused on that spot. He heard the other moving, and the tip of Kit’s shoe entered his line of sight.

“I like being around you two,” Kit said, a very general answer. Ty glanced at him with a frown. “...I mean-- I feel comfortable around you two. More than the others. I feel like…” He paused while he tried to find the right wording. Ty understood that, and stayed quiet until Kit spoke again. “I feel like I belong, like, in this world. With you….with you two.” He hesitated when he spoke, and the effect wasn’t lost to Ty. His gaze drifted to Kit, who he saw was blushing in a very un-Kit-like fashion. 

Ty didn’t know how to respond to that. It sounded like a lot, like more than he could take in for the moment. It sounded like Kit was trying to tell him something he wasn’t ready to hear. 

“I’m glad,” Ty said immediately, and he was; relieved Kit enjoyed the time spent with them, that Kit seemed to genuinely feel comfortable with Ty and Livvy. “...The wind’s picking up. We should head back in.” He shifted the topic quickly, and Ty’s gaze darted to the land surrounding the institute so he wouldn’t have to face Kit’s reaction. Chest thumping in a way that wasn’t what he was used to, Ty quickly lead the way back through the window they’d climbed out from, saying a quick excuse that he had to go find Livvy to tell her something once they were inside. He walked down the hallway quickly, hands fumbling over the familiar textures of his headphones, and his pace didn’t start until he was in his room, tucked in a corner and staring helplessly at his bed.

Sometimes, Ty wished he couldn’t understand Kit.

**Author's Note:**

> this series is making me feel Emotions and i finished lady midnight in a day i needed to get them out (kinda) (these are going to be short but there will be a few of them!)


End file.
